Miquel, previously a Financial Data Solutions Specialist at Bloomberg decided after spending time travelling around Europe, that he wanted to build a site that allowed people who shared the same passion as him in discovering food from different areas, food which not only tasted great but also had amazing stories behind them, he wanted a platform where all those information could be found.

A place where consumers can place orders for hard-to-find foods and get them delivered at home while producers also have a platform that can help them increase sales, promote their produce and gain exposure in front of a highly segmented audience.

I invited Miquel Ros to share the story behind his startup, GourmetOrigins.

Here is the full interview.

Hi Miquel, Thanks for doing this interview with me. Can you give you some background information about yourself?

I am the founder and managing director of GourmetOrigins.com, an online marketplace for artisan and high quality foods.

My background is in economics and management, this is what I studied at university, and before becoming an entrepreneur I have worked in a range of different industries and countries: market research, international trade and also developing financial information products at a major corporation in the City.

Tell me how the idea for Gourmet Origin came about?

My partner and me both share an interest in discovering food from different places, when we travel for example, and we found this was a market where information was very dispersed. So we started to build a site with maps that allowed us to put all this information under one roof.

What were you doing before you started the company?

I worked at Bloomberg, one of the major companies in the financial information industry.

What is Gourmet Origins?

GourmetOrigins.com is an online marketplace for high quality foods and beverages. There is an amazing diversity of really unique foods in Europe but most of them are made by small producers that do not have much access to conventional distribution channels . At the same time, there is an increasing interest for products that are unique and to avoid standardization. Some of the products on our marketplace do not only taste great but have also amazing stories. We would like to facilitate access to these type of products.

Talk me through the first few months of running the business? What would you say was the hardest part of starting the business?

Well, there is a big change in lifestyle in going from working for a large corporation to running your own project. You need to cope with the more unpredictable environment and learn to make the most of your own resources and also to organize yourself well.

How were you able to fund the business?

We got some capital from friends and family first and then got some seed capital from the Openfund (http://openfund.com) and incubator and accelerator of internet projects.

Would you say the initial idea for the company, or that your business model has changed since last year?

We have been iterating a lot, we started with a concept that was more based on content but we then realised there was a opportunity to do direct selling and the market was ready for this so we pivoted to an e-commerce/marketplace model.

What would you say has been some of the most crucial that you’ve done to build the company to this level now?

Assembling a community of people and companies that have helped us take off the ground, from our early investors, family friends, the people of Openfund, the producers that have signed up and, of course, our customers!

Is the business profitable?

Not yet, but we are not far from break-even.

What’s been your most memorable moment so far on your entrepreneurial journey?

Seeing the first orders notifications in the inbox. And then sending payments to the producers that have trusted us and increased their sales as a result.

What pieces of advices could you give to aspiring entrepreneurs out there?

To not be scared to pursue your ideas, start with something small and be focused and grow it from there.

What can we be expecting from you and Gourmet Origin in 2012?

We are pretty much a project under development, so we expect to add many new features to the site this year, that will make it a more comprehensive platform for food enthusiasts, in particular we are looking forward to add more content back to the site. Gourmet food is all about the stories!

A young entrepreneur, 23, is launching a new web based company called FOODHOST this summer.

The twenty-three years old who has a background in marketing and journalism graduated from the University two years ago.

Before starting the company, he worked in the catering industry for five years, working with some of the biggest brands including Kelloggs, Tesco, and KFC which he said has given him a lot of experience in customer service and food distribution.

The Idea.

“The idea came from listening to a podcast about peer to peer markets, and I notice how no company has yet stamped its mark on the food space worth £150bn annually according to Google. So I asked everyone I could to see whether this concept was viable, but you really only need to turn on the television to see the amount of cooking programmes validating an existing audience. Since the recession the rise of Supperclubs has been phenomenal and I really believe this is the next step to the evolution of social dining.

The startup

FOODHOST is an online marketplace for people to create and share local dinner parties in their area. In a period of economic woes, FOODHOST offers a platform for user’s to save time, money, and effort; whilst making new friends and enjoying great meals.

How it works

The concept is simple; users sign up free and scroll through a list of events happening in their cities. They can book a place by purchasing a credit which allows them to receive the host’s contact information, or set up a brand new event for others to join in. Members have a chance to message any questions they may have beforehand, and users can rate and review the occasion afterwards.

There are two formats to choose from, a “Series” event or a “One off” event. In the former, each individual takes a turn in being the host and the guest at the parties. The latter lasts for one night only where everyone contributes something different i.e. drinks, dessert, or entertainment.

Advantages

The idea is cost-effective, customers can save money on utility bills, and weekly food shopping through bulk buying. They get to try out new dishes instead of eating the same ones again and again. Wasted food can be put to good use and not in the bin; and it minimises the effort of shopping / cooking / and washing up all week.

Unlike restaurants with huge overheads to cover, there are no bills to pick up, no tips to leave, no waiters rushing to finish, and even no parking fees.

Future Developments

FOODHOST is also working with local independent suppliers to help promote their businesses for free, so users can get a richer experience knowing where to source the best products locally whilst helping the economy.

Prices start as low as £2 per successful booking for each user, whether it is a “Series” or a “One off” the overall event is the same price.

The Launch

The site is due to launch in late August 2011 and customers are signing up now on the holding page.

Final words

“For the average price of one meal out in the UK (£20), up to 60 dinner parties can be attended at FOODHOST saving over £1000 equivalently. If 1 in 500 people liked the idea then it was worth making it happen, it turned out to be 1 in 5.” – Christopher Tau, CEO.

Emily Olson is the founder of Foodzie, which was launched in December 2008, when she was 24. Foodzie is an online marketplace for artisanal food producers and growers.

She came up with the idea after working at a speciality food store, where she realised the difficulties that these producers had in getting their products into big retailers. Foodzie allows the passionate producers to connect online in an easy and efficient way.

To help here in starting the business she called on Rob LaFave and Nik Bauman, two university friends who had entrepreneurial ambitions.

Emily says “Being in the food business is not as glamorous as it seems, but everyone we work with is doing it because they are very passionate.”

After a year in business Foodzie was working with 250 vendors and was getting hits of 85,000 a month.

Foodzie offers many interesting in not a little odd varieties of food. Some products you are unlikely to find anywhere else, including Gobba Gobba Hey treats (Whoopie Pie-like confections, called “gobs,” made with all-natural ingredients and offered in exotic flavor combinations), and Bacon Jam (No, really it’s actually very good!)

Here is a little video to tell you more!

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ModCloth is an American online retailer, based in Pittsburgh, PA, that specializes in vintage, vintage-inspired and indie clothing, accessories and decor.

ModCloth was launched as a website in 2002 by Susan Gregg-Koger with the help of her then-boyfriend, now-husband Eric Koger

They were able to raise a little over $3 million from angels like StubHub co-founder Jeff Fluhr and venture capital firms First Round Capital and Maples Investments.

The pair continued working on the website while attending Carnegie Mellon University.

Since 2002, the company has grown enormously with annual revenue in excess of $15 million in 2009. As of January 2010, the company has more than 100 employees.